Exclusive Interview by James Slater – Though he was at pains to point out the fact that the bout has not been signed yet, there seems a good chance Travis “Freight Train” Walker will be fighting Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola on November 29th (the fight is up as happening on BoxRec). Though he was somewhat hesitant to talk about a fight that is not yet his, 29-year-old Travis, currently 28-1-1(22) kindly gave this writer some of his time earlier today.
Speaking about the possible match-up with the unbeaten Arreola, the upcoming Klitschko-Peter fight and other things, Walker gave me the following answers to my questions.
James Slater: I know the fight’s not been signed yet, but there seems a good chance you might get it. Do you really want that fight with Chris Arreola?
Travis Walker: I would love it. That’s a perfect fight for me.
J.S: Why perfect?
T.W: Well, he’s a decent fighter, who throws a lot of punches, which is good for a respectable heavyweight, and he has some nice angles. But he’s also wild at times and he comes straight forward, which will be a bad thing for him to do against me.
J.S: He says he doesn’t watch tapes of prospective fighters, do you?
T.W: I watch boxing, so that’s why I’ve seen him fight. I watch boxing as a fan. I’ve seen him a few times, I’ve seen him get hurt a couple of times, too – by guys that aren’t real big punchers. So if guys like that can hurt him he don’t wanna get hit by me.
J.S: Hopefully you do get the fight, have you been waiting for a real big chance like this?
T.W: Oh yeah. This fight will be the one where I show everybody what I’ve got. I’ve got a lot to show and a lot to prove. The U.S needs a big heavyweight that everyone can get behind.
J.S: This will be your biggest fight, and it will be shown on HBO, will there be any nerves for you or will you thrive on the big opportunity?
T.W: I’ll thrive on it. This will be a big boost for me. I know everyone will see me, because everyone has got HBO.
J.S: Have you fully recovered from the car crash you had back in the spring? I know you separated your right shoulder in the crash.
T.W: It wasn’t really separated, it was a pulled ligament. Yes, I’m fine now. I’ve had no problems or pain in sparring.
J.S: Do you feel you are at your peak now at age 29, or are you approaching your peak?
T.W: I definitely feel I’m approaching my peak.
J.S: For those that haven’t seen you fight, what are your best assets in the ring?
T.W: For this fight, I’ll be using my jab a lot. I plan on using my jab, I have a good jab, and I want to show that I can box. I’ve been fighting all my life, but now I’m working on being a better boxer.
J.S: You’re a big guy at approx 240, is that the weight you’ll come in at if and when you fight Arreola?
T.W: Yeah, 240, that’s the weight I’ll come in at.
J.S: As you know, in his last fight, Arreola came in at 258. Do you think he’d be crazy enough to come in that high against you?
T.W: I hope not. I want it to be a decent fight. I want to beat the guy at his best so that people talk about what I did, and not come out with any excuses about him not being in shape.
J.S: What type of fight do you think it would be?
T.W: There’d be a lot of banging going on. I think it’d be a pretty good fight to watch and a good fight to be at.
J.S: Do you think you would score a KO?
T.W: He has been hurt by non-punchers, so yeah I think I’d stop him. I’ll beat him in front of his hometown.
J.S: It’s likely a win would put you in line for a title shot. Who would you most like to face for a world title?
T.W: The winner of Sam Peter and Vitali Klitschko. I feel I’m more hungry than they are right now.
J.S: Who wins that one?
T.W: I think Peter should take it. Klitschko’s been out for over three years and I don’t know if he’s mentally ready to fight. And he’ll be real rusty. He’s also been complaining a lot about injuries and he might be getting too old. But we’ll see when we see.
J.S: You’d love a fight with Sam Peter then?
T.W: Definitely. A world title fight is what gives me motivation. I’d beat Peter, I think he’s too slow.
J.S: Well, I hope you get the fight with Arreola. Thank you for your time.
T.W: Thanks again for the interview.